by Ali Olson
After what felt like ages, she found the card and managed to slide it home. Finally they were in the room together and the door closed behind them. Before she had even a second to think, she was pressed against the door, his lips once again on hers. The kiss was long and deep, and the feel of his tongue plundering her mouth, then his teeth biting lightly at her bottom lip, silenced any last appeals from her voice of reason.
Suddenly he pulled back from her and looked into her eyes in the dark room only lit by the glitz of the city through the window. “Are you sure?” he asked.
At first she was confused. Didn’t he realize how much she wanted him? Then she remembered that within twenty-four hours she had stormed away from him, tried to ignore him and told him she wanted to be friends. Not exactly the clearest signals.
She closed the gap he had created between them, and decided that honesty would be best here. “I’m sure, Aaron—”
She didn’t need to worry about explaining any more than that, because the moment she gave the green light, he pressed his mouth to hers again and his hands began exploring her body, as if he needed to feel every inch of her skin. As he stroked the skin where the top of her dress exposed her cleavage, she gasped at the intensity of the feeling. Her nipples were taut and sensitive, yearning for his touch, and the slight brush of his hand only made it worse. Her hand quickly went to the back of the dress and dragged down the zipper without her thinking about it, allowing the dress to fall, leaving her in nothing more than her rather plain black underwear.
Since the ending of her previous relationship, she’d gotten rid of most of her sexy underthings, but she was glad she was at least wearing black to match the dress. Being sensual wasn’t natural for her, and she felt a little embarrassed. Was she supposed to make some kind of move? Did she even have moves?
Her mental litany of self-consciousness ended abruptly, though, as he looked her up and down, breathed a quick “Wow” and grabbed her close once more, his head dipping down to her neck as his fingers continued to explore. She started fumbling with the buttons on his shirt.
This lack of control was so different it was hard to wrap her mind around it. All she knew was that she wanted him naked, wanted to be pressed against his body. The heat radiating from his skin made her feel deliciously warm, and she wanted it all.
He shrugged out of his shirt, and it was her turn to be amazed. His stomach and chest were even more impressive than she had imagined. His masculinity emanated off him in waves of heat and strength and longing. Her hands ran over his chest, his stomach and up along the rippling muscles of his arms.
In one quick movement, he gathered her up in his arms, and she laughed breathlessly from surprise and delight as her feet left the floor. He carried her over toward the bed, still running his tongue and teeth along her neck until he hit a sweet spot in the hollow of her neck. She moaned from the feeling, and whispered his name, and he sucked deeper, intensifying the experience. She felt her body quickening. It had been so long since any man kissed her, and never like this.
Then his mouth found her nipple and began teasing it greedily as his fingers moved lower and lower until a single finger dipped into her folds, and she gasped, her back arching as the tension built low in her belly. Any moment she would fly over the cliff.
His fingers danced on her every nerve as his teeth scraped against her skin, sending her over the edge. She cried out, her back curving even more with the strength of her orgasm. As the waves washed over her, she could see him leaning over her, watching her body react.
As the tremors subsided, he smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ve barely gotten started,” he whispered into her ear, sending fresh waves of pleasure through her.
She pulled his mouth back to hers and kissed him again, one hand moving to his waist. She wasn’t done with him yet. As her fingers moved across the bare skin of his abs, Aaron groaned with pleasure, and it made her feel sexier than she’d ever felt.
Jessica unhooked his belt and unbuttoned his jeans, allowing her hand to brush against his hardness through the rough denim. He laughed deep in his throat, and, his voice barely a whisper, he said, “You are way too sexy.”
It was her turn to smile, feeling more powerful than ever. She leaned over and moved her mouth to his jaw, kissing the rough jawline as she worked her way down to his chest.
5
AARON COULDN’T BELIEVE what was happening. Since he’d seen Jessica walking toward him with the group of girls that Jeremiah had made plans with, he’d been in a blur of unreality.
He had been so sure he had lost the chance to kiss those amazing lips, to touch that achingly beautiful skin.
And now they were in her room and every inch of his body was alive, feeling her soft, supple body up against him, running his fingers through her hair, tingling with sensation as she ran her hands along his chest, her tongue following after. When she had begun undoing his pants, he thought he would burst under her fingers.
She was kissing down along his chest with an agonizing slowness that knocked the wind out of him. He could see her body shaking, still taut and sensitive from her climax. He rubbed his fingers lightly down her back, making her shiver again.
Touching her and watching her react had been surreal, and had made him want her even more, if that was possible. He sat up, lifting her face toward him with a hand curved gently under her jaw, and he kissed her again, letting the feel of it run down through his body. He slipped her panties slowly down her long, elegant legs and looked up at her, questioning, one last time. She smiled at him, her lips thick and dark, her eyes showing her longing for him. He let the last of his clothing fall to the floor, tore open the wrapper of a condom and sheathed himself, then moved toward where she lay on the bed.
She leaned forward, kissing him as he moved closer to her. Then he was above her, pressing her into the soft pillows, one leg between hers. She moved her thighs apart slowly, as if reluctant, and he leaned back, looking into her eyes, afraid this wasn’t what she wanted.
“Is this okay?” he asked, praying she wouldn’t stop this.
She looked very serious for a moment, as if she was thinking through the situation. That didn’t bode well. She said, “Just this one weekend, and then we never see each other again, right?”
He didn’t know exactly what answer she wanted, but he gave her the truth. He nodded.
She put her hand on the nape of his neck, pulled him back toward her and opened for him. She looked him deep in the eye and wrapped her legs around him. The only thing she said was his name, just a quick, half whispered “Aaron.”
When she said his name in that breathy, intense way, everything melted away but their two bodies. He slid into her, and was jolted with the perfection of the moment. He watched her face contort as they moved together, and the world seemed very far away and unimportant. The only thing that mattered was this moment caught in time, this beautiful woman, these electrifying sensations.
He refused to think about the next day, let alone home and the years ahead. Instead he focused on the night that lay ahead of them. He had all night to make love to Jessica, and he was going to make sure they both enjoyed it fully.
They rocked with each other slowly, then faster and faster until he couldn’t take it anymore, and he teased and touched and dragged her over with him.
“Wow,” was all she said after catching her breath.
He had to agree. Everything about her was spectacular.
He wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the feel of her body against his. “You smell good,” she murmured sleepily into his chest.
He chuckled. “Thanks. So do you. And your skin is so soft.”
She didn’t reply, and he looked down to see that she was already dozing off. He pulled her in a little closer and slept, too.
* * *
NEAR MORNING, J
UST as the sky was lightening to a soft gray, Aaron stared at her, the mysterious airport woman, who was sleeping peacefully on his chest, his arm wrapped around her, his hand resting on her hip. She was more than beautiful; she was miraculous.
When he woke again, it was full morning and he was alone in the bed. He looked around and spied Jessica sitting in the chair at the desk wearing a robe, typing away on her computer. He could see her face staring intently at the screen in the mirror on the wall in front of her. She was without makeup, tousled and beautiful. He wanted to walk up behind her and put his hands on her again, just to feel her warmth and her skin against his.
For a second, though, he wasn’t sure what he should do. Would she feel differently about their night together in the light of day? What if she asked him to leave?
He didn’t know what would happen, but he knew he wanted to spend more time around this woman who made him feel alive. His mysterious airport girl, his unlikely fantasy, had become more than he would’ve imagined, and he didn’t want to let that go until he had to.
She stopped typing and looked up into the mirror at him, smiling a little awkwardly. He smiled back. Maybe she wasn’t too sure about things, either. The silence hung between them. Finally, just to break the slight tension, he said the only thing his racing brain could settle on.
“Hey.”
Her smile softened. “Hi.”
“Listen, Jessica, I—”
She stopped him with a wave of her hand. “No, it’s fine. You don’t have to say anything. I understand. Feel free to go whenever you like.”
Her coolness stabbed, and he wasn’t sure what to do except be honest. “I was going to say that last night was incredible, and I was wondering if you’d want to spend the day with me. But if you don’t that’s fine. I can just go,” he ended in a rush.
She jumped up. “Oh! No, that would be good! I just... I just didn’t want to make you feel obligated or anything, and I wasn’t sure...” Her voice trailed off.
His smile returned, and his heart warmed at her flustered explanation. He tried not to notice that her robe had fallen open slightly as she turned toward him, but the sliver of flesh was distracting and his body responded. “Great. What do you want to do?”
She looked at the bed; then her eyes roved over his body, only partially covered by a sheet, and he smiled wider, realizing where her mind had gone. His body flooded with heat, and he leaned up a little more to hide his arousal.
She apparently managed to gain control of her thoughts, because she looked him in the eye and, a touch too casually, said, “Anything. I just got some work done and Cindy doesn’t expect to see me until later this afternoon. I think they had a really late night, so I probably won’t even hear from her for hours.”
“What kind of work?” he asked.
Part of him wanted to avoid discussing the real world, not find out anything about her job, her family, her life. It was too dangerous, if she was as interesting as he suspected. But another part of him just wanted to hear her talk some more.
When she spoke, her voice was halting. “I’m an editor. But I don’t think we should talk about—I mean, I think this should—”
She broke off, but he got what she was saying loud and clear. “No details. Sure. ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ kind of a thing.”
She narrowed her eyes for a moment and he was worried she was going to ask him exactly how many times he’d done something similar. It would be impossible to explain how this was different, and he couldn’t see any way that conversation would end well.
Luckily the expression faded and she just nodded. “Vegas only. That sounds perfect.”
“Okay, no details. Just a fun weekend. How about we go downtown? I haven’t been there in forever, and that’s about as Vegas as you can get.”
She glanced again at the bed, and her face showed disappointment for a half second, but then her smile returned. “Sure. I’ll need to shower, but I could be ready to go in twenty minutes.”
He stood up and walked toward her, allowing her eyes to roam over his naked, aroused body. Nearly losing his cool demeanor because of the intense scrutiny, he picked her up out of the chair. “Oh, I think we’ll need longer than that.”
She laughed as he nuzzled open her robe a little more and set her down on the bed, and the sound was so happy that he couldn’t wait to hear it again.
“What did you have in mind?” she asked, the laughter still in her voice.
“Oh, I’m sure we can come up with a few things,” he answered.
They kissed, long and deep, without the rush and desperation of the night before. Jessica slid one leg around him, her body exposed to him as he leaned over her. When they finally came up for air, she slowly slid her leg back across him until her thighs were closed and said, “Just what kind of woman do you think I am?” as she half-attempted to close her robe. Her grin was wicked and teasing.
Aaron’s hand managed to catch one of her breasts before the robe closed completely, stroking it until her smile turned genuine and she leaned back to give him more access, letting the robe fall back open.
“I think you’re an incredibly sexy woman who plans on having a very fun weekend torturing me,” he answered.
She laughed again and her leg slid back around him. As his mouth closed on hers once more, his hand slipped lower, down the fluttering muscles of her stomach until he reached her folds, making her gasp.
He waited until she was squirming and almost begging him to don the condom and move on top of her.
In the morning, it was slow and almost painfully wonderful as he slid inside her again. Her back arched and he watched as she closed her eyes, her mouth formed into a perfect circle. This was going to be the best weekend of his life.
And quite possibly the hardest to get over.
When they were both spent, he rolled to the side and watched her face relax as the intensity of her climax dissipated. A smile played on the edges of her lips.
Finally, after they caught their breath, she stood. He took in her entire, lithe body. She grabbed her robe as though she was going to put it on, then hesitated and set it back down. He was glad she’d decided not to cover herself—he loved looking at her.
She pointed to the bathroom and said, “I need to take a shower.”
He didn’t want to assume he was invited, so he waited a moment, listening to the blood shoot through his veins. It felt more like fire. He raised his eyebrows in question.
“You want to join me?”
Aaron didn’t need to be asked twice. He was out of the bed and next to her in a flash, his hand on the small of her back. She laughed her loud, ringing laugh. “So that’s a yes?”
She had the best laugh.
The warm water was soothing, and he was again intrigued by this girl, with her interesting mix of shyness and provocative power. He couldn’t say if she was self-confident or self-conscious or both. He just couldn’t peg her into any one hole.
He shampooed her hair and soaped her body, massaging every inch of skin he could touch, just as he had fantasized only the day before. The shower took much longer than either of them would have expected, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain.
They dried and dressed, and Jessica called room service and ordered a large breakfast since they hadn’t eaten the night before. As they ate and talked, Aaron immediately realized that Jessica was smart. He’d dated a few smart girls, but none of them were quick and clever like her, and he reveled in the knowledge.
“So, were you going to call me?” he asked after a brief pause in the conversation. It was a dangerous question, but he needed to know the answer.
She pressed her lips together for only a moment, but it was enough to see that she didn’t like the question. “I was considering it, but I lost your number.”
“L
ost it?” How could she have lost it?
“Well, I didn’t lose it, exactly. I tossed it in the trash after...”
“After I was an asshole at a strip club.” Why did she have to see him at his absolute worst like that? “I’m sorry, again, about that. Not my finest moment.”
She shrugged, as if it didn’t matter. He wanted to tell her that it did matter, that he wasn’t that guy, but the words died in his throat. The worst thing was that in some ways her image of him was true.
It wasn’t a happy thought. He pushed it aside. “Well, it looks like I lost a perfectly good bookmark. Serves me right, I guess.”
She seemed to pick up on the need to change the topic, because she didn’t even flinch at the abrupt shift. “What were you reading? Something rodeo-themed? Like The History of Cowboy Hats or something?”
Aaron paused. He should have expected that question, but he didn’t want to tell her and have her think he was stupid. What a terrible change of topic “I’d rather not say” was.
Jessica shifted so her legs were tucked underneath her in the chair, and she leaned over the empty plates toward him, her eyes wide with interest. “Come on! You have to tell me. It’s more embarrassing than The History of Cowboy Hats? Was it Fifty Shades? It was, wasn’t it?”
He couldn’t help smiling at her excitement. It didn’t look as though she was going to give up. “I’m reading Harry Potter,” he confessed.
She leaned forward even more, giving him a pleasant view of her cleavage. “Ooh. Which one? Are you one of those Harry Potter fans who reads all of them over and over?”
“No, this is my first time reading the series. I’m on The Goblet of Fire. They’re good, but I’m not some crazy fan or anything.”
A sudden shift in her eyes made him smile. “How many times have you read them? Be honest,” he wheedled.
